Question

Factor x^2-x-30 completely. If the poem polynomial cannot be factored, write “prime” show work

Answer 1

Answer:

(x+5)(x-6)

Explanation:

The way you can figure this out is by looking at which ones multiply to be 30, but add to be -1. If you were to make a list of what multiplies to be 30, you’d probably do:

30 • 1 = 30
10 • 3 = 30
2 • 15 = 30
5 • 6 = 30

In this case, the best possible answer would be “5 • 6 = 30.” Therefore, you would get:

(x 5)(x 6)

Now, you would have to determine what makes -1. In this case, the answer would be to put a “-“ for 6 and a “+” for 5 because -6 + 5 make -1.

(If you’re still unsure, you can FOIL what you factored.)